NEXT UP: MERCURY LOUNGE WEDNESDAY JULY 16TH
posted June 25, 2008
We're playing on Wednesday July 16th at The Mercury Lounge. This is a music industry "Showcase Set" for us, so it's an EARLY SHOW. We will hit at 7:30PM.
BLOCK ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
posted April 21, 2008
We've been invited back to play the The 2008 Block Island Music Festival. Wormburner is confirmed for the coveted 10PM timeslot on Friday June 13th.
SATURDAY APRIL 12TH AT THE MERCURY LOUNGE
posted April 14, 2008
Many thanks to everyone who caught us at Mercury Lounge this past Saturday nite. It's always a special occasion when we play The Merc, and this was no exception. A fan gave us a mini-disc recording of the show, including our daring cover version of the Men at Work song Overkill. We'll post it on our myspace page asap.
OUR OWN PAUL McDANIEL MEETS, HUGS RAY DAVIES
posted April 8, 2008
Item! Last nite at Tortilla Flats, Wormburner guitarist Paul McDaniel spied The Kinks' Ray Davies standing just a few feet away at the bar. The two aging rockers exchanged pleasantries as Paul excitedly recounted having seen The Kinks' Come Dancing Tour as a youngster more than twenty years ago. The iconic British Invasion songwriter was a perfect English gentleman throughout the entire exchange, even allowing for a brief (if somewhat awkward) embrace before being whisked away to play a solo show uptown at the Beacon Theatre.
NEW SONGS and BAR MATCHLESS IN BROOKLYN
posted Feburary 11, 2008
We've been busy recording a batch of new songs in Hoboken. But we're not too busy to play a show. Our next New York appearance will be on Saturday March 1st at Bar Matchless in Green Point, Brooklyn. Also on the bill will be Lifeguard Nights and our "sibling band" The Behoovers, celebrating the release of their infectious new album Boca Raton.
"ST. LOUIS? NO, NAVEN JOHNSON!"
posted January 20, 2008
Our song Sleepy Jane will be featured tonight on the New Music Sunday program at 105.7 FM The Point in St. Louis. New Music Sunday has been nominated for a 2008 Plug Award in the category of "Radio Specialty Show of the Year".
THE NEW YEAR
posted January 2, 2008
Happy New Year and a heartfelt thanks for all the love in 2007. It was our best year yet, closing out with a huge headlining slot at Bowery Ballroom, great press, and a Christmas Single that got picked up by more bloggers, podcasters and renegade radio broadcasters than we can begin to account for. 2008 is already off to a thrilling start, with our synth-pop/punk song Astronauts poised to be featured in an independent film (more on that story as it unfolds).
HANK'S TOP TEN SONGS
posted December 31, 2007
Here are the Top 10 songs of the past year, as experienced by Temptation Hank:
1. Unless It's Kicks - Okkervil River
2. Missed The Boat - Modest Mouse
3. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
4. Don't You Evah - Spoon
5. Down in the Valley - The Broken West
6. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn and John
7. Phantom Limb - The Shins
8. Intervention - Arcade Fire
9. Girls in Their Summer Clothes - Bruce Springsteen
10. In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars
Album of the Year: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon.
FULL-PAGE ARTICLE IN NEW YORK PRESS
posted December 19, 2007
Check out the great spread about Wormburner in today's New York Press.
CHRISTMAS SINGLE IN THE ITUNES MUSIC STORE
posted December 10, 2007
Our Christmas Single Bells of St. Ignatius is available for just ninety-nine cents in the iTunes Music Store.
A VERY BOWERY CHRISTMAS
posted December 6, 2007
All the pieces are in place for our Bowery Ballroom show on Thursday December 20th. This marks our second Bowery appearance of 2007, and this time we are co-headlining the bill with Knockout Drops. Both bands will be playing full sets, and Lifeguard Nights has just been added in the opening slot. The evening will culminate with a medley of Christmas singalongs by The Yule Dogs, a holiday collective featuring all bands plus members of The Bogmen and more.
The event is being dubbed "A Very Bowery Christmas". We're gearing up to deliver our first-ever live performance of Bells of St. Ignatius, the original Wormburner Christmas song that's destined to be a classic!
Tickets for the show are $20, and you can purchase in advance by clicking here. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Kristy's Smile charity. All concert attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the Yule Dogs Christmas album.
EVEL KNIEVEL R.I.P.
posted November 30, 2007
Self-described as "the last gladiator in the new Rome", today we mourn the passing of Evel Knievel (1938-2007).
CMJ SHOWCASE
posted October 17, 2007
Many thanks to those who attended our opening night showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon. A modest live performance video of our song Sleepy Jane is posted here.
FOUR STAR ALBUM REVIEW
posted September 29, 2007
A four-star review of our album just rolled off the presses at Anti Music. And the accompanying interview includes a compromising revelation worthy of Page Six.
BOSTON SHOW
posted September 16, 2007
We're back from our first-ever Boston show, and there's nothing but good news to report. Except for the fact that we seem to have left behind an amplifier (fingers crossed it's locked away safely in a back room at the club). Otherwise the turnout was great. We played new songs and some WB classics, saw a lot of old friends and made some new ones. We'll be back up there soon.
THURSDAY AUGUST 2ND AT THE MERCURY LOUNGE
posted August 6, 2007
Many thanks if you helped pack the house at The Mercury Lounge last week. And thanks to Action Painters for such a stellar performance co-headlining the bill with us. You can read a great review of the show here.
This Fall we're taking our act on the road to Boston and more. Dates are still TBD, but we'll post 'em ASAP. In other news, we have begun recording some new material in Williamsburg, Brooklyn under the watchful eye of commando-style recording specialist Ollie Byrd.
LATEST RADIO AIRPLAY
posted July 9, 2007
Wormburner's romance with internet radio continues through these warm summer months. Our songs Little Things and Skinny Leather Tie were just added to the playlist at Cake, a free-form online station programmed by A&R legend Howard Thompson. Howard is a tastemaker notorious for signing acts like Adam Ant, 10,000 Maniacs, Garbage and countless others.
RARE OUTDOOR ACOUSTIC SHOW
posted Friday June 22, 2007
Thanks for getting all pagan with us as we celebrated the summer solstice last nite. We played a rare, outdoor, entirely-unplugged acoustic set in the West Village. It was a sidewalk show right out front of the otheroom, part of a one-day event called the Make Music New York Festival which converted public spaces all around the City into informal musical stages. We were rained-out halfway through our set, but we had a great time with everyone who fled the electrical storm and piled into the bar with us.
ESCAPE FROM BELLEVUE
posted May 30, 2007
If you've been to any one of our New York shows over the past few years, chances are you've seen the mighty Chris Campion join us onstage to add his signature harmony vocals to our "indie hit" song SLT. Starting Thursday May 31st, Chris Campion launches his new Escape From Bellevue show, which ran sold-out for three months the first time it opened. The first run was totally stripped down and DIY, and it far surpassed everyone's expectations. Now it's a BIG PRODUCTION with innovative OBIE AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR Alex Timbers. Escape From Bellevue is a wildly entertaining night out...a 90-minute show packed with hilarious storytelling which, incidentally, has landed Chris Campion a major book deal with Penguin Books. Plus, there's a bar in the theater that opens an hour prior to showtime. So it's a unique example of an off-Broadway production where you can party AND watch theater. This show (and its music) has the Wormburner stamp of approval and then some! Click here for tickets.
DOMINOS PIZZA GETS TURNED AROUND
posted April 3, 2007
Our song Turndaround has been selected for a "Brooklyn Mix" playlist currently featured on the Domino's Pizza website.
REVIEW FROM THE UK
posted March 27, 2007
A review from across the pond was just published in The Mag. Specific to the Wormburner song Autographed Copies, a UK reviewer called out "the wonderfully warm guitars and crisp drum sound which perfectly capture the emotion of the song, further advanced by the clear American accent of the vocal."
REVIEW FROM SPILL MAGAZINE
posted March 13, 2007
Another glowing review of our LP includes this fresh perespective from Spill Magazine: "Buried below the five-piece's indie rock are literary songs featuring clever wordplay....laced with New Wave and Powerpop, the album aims to please fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, The Weakerthans and Grandaddy."
BOWERY BALLROOM
posted February 24, 2007
Many thanks to everyone who helped sell out the Bowery Ballroom last nite. We had the time of our lives, and we will post some pics and video footage soon. In the meantime, here's a review of the show.
REVIEW FROM GLORIOUS NOISE
posted February 13, 2007
Today we were alerted to a pleasant online review of our album. Here's an excerpt from the full article at GloriousNoise.com: "They're loud, they're catchy, and they aren't trying to be anything other than what they are -- a fun power-pop band...sounds like Isolation Drills-era Guided By Voices."
ANOTHER GREAT REVIEW
posted February 9, 2007
And still some more favorable press on our album. Dig these goods words, courtesy of our new friends at UsedWigs.com: "The injection of Moog synth adds just the right touch of energy and retro goodness to the yearning vocals and big buzz saw melodies to set it apart from your standard guitar-driven, pop-enfused rock. This is a must for fans of Elf Power, The Mountain Goats and Ted Leo."
ALBUM AVAILABLE IN STORES
posted January 12, 2007
Our new LP A Hero's Welcome is now available for purchase in select stores including Rebel Rebel, located at 319 Bleecker Street in New York City.
HANK'S TOP TEN
posted December 30, 2006
Back by semi-popular demand, it's Temptation Hank's annual list of the Top 10 songs he heard in the past year:
1. Returning to The Fold - The Thermals
2. Goin'Against Your Mind - Built To Spill
3. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) - The Decemberists
4. A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys
5. The Right Thing - Robert Pollard
6. Nausea - Beck
7. Chillout Tent - The Hold Steady
8. Us Ones In Between - Sunset Rubdown
9. Icebreaker Blues - Goldenboy
10. Breaking The Ice- Mojave 3
CHRISTMAS SONG TO APPEAR ON COMPILATION CD
posted December 22nd, 2006
Our Christmas song Bells of St. Ignatius is Track 2 on a holiday compilation CD The Bogmen put together to commemorate their sold-out NYC reunion shows this week. Other artists on the CD include Knockout Drops, Lifeguard Nights, and Vic Thrill + The Saturn Missile. CDs are being sold at the Bogmen shows, and all proceeds will benefit the Kristy's Smile charity. We'll let you know if there's any way to buy these CDs online.
BIG NEWS! A NEW CHRISTMAS CLASSIC!
posted December 4th, 2006
We are the proud papas of a brand-new Christmas song called Bells of St. Ignatius. Hank wrote the song over Thanksgiving Weekend, and the band gathered to record it in Hoboken, New Jersey on 12/1/06. People are calling it A New Christmas Classic in the vein of The Pogues' Fairytale of New York and Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas, with a "pub sing-along" chorus and icy guitar lines reminiscent of The Pretenders' 2000 Miles. Help yourself to the FREE download on our myspace page. Bells of St. Ignatius is essential to any holiday playlist from now till the end of time!
CMJ SHOWCASE SET
posted October 26th, 2006
We're playing a CMJ showcase set at Arlene's Grocery on Halloween Night (Tuesday October 31st). This is the opening night of the 2006 CMJ Music Marathon, and we go onstage at 10:15 sharp.
RECORD RELEASE SHOW AT MERCURY LOUNGE
posted September 12th, 2006
Many thanks to more than 200 of you who packed The Mercury Lounge for our record release show Friday nite. You can stream/preview tracks from the new album by clicking on our MUSIC page, or you can flat-out purchase it via our STORE page. Within a few weeks, the album will also be available in the iTunes Music Store.
ALBUM FINISHED. RELEASE DATE SHORTLY
posted August 3rd, 2006
Our debut full-length record is being packaged right now, and the finished product will be in our hands momentarily. The record release show is officially scheduled for Friday, September 8th at The Mercury Lounge. Save the date!
In the meantime, catch us on Tuesday August 8th at The Annex, supporting Die! Die! Die! from New Zealand. We go on at 9PM, and the bar will be serving FREE Red Stripes from 8PM-9PM.
MUSIC VIDEOS
posted July 17, 2006
Our first-ever music videos are now available for your online viewing and listening pleasure. These were shot in the Spring of '06 by Chris Cassidy and Vin Brue, and edited by Chris Cassidy. Click below:
Little Things (click to watch video)
Turndaround (click to watch video)
LIVE AT THE ANNEX WITH ACTION PAINTERS
posted June 2, 2006
Many thanks to the crowds who braved last nite's crazy electrical storms to catch us at The Annex. It was as much fun as any show we can remember. Thanks especially to our friends in a hot new band called Action Painters for organizing the nite and putting on a debut performance that blew our minds.
GUEST VOCALS WITH LIFEGUARD BAND
posted May 25, 2006
Hank contributed guest vocals on the brand new release by The South Jersey Seashore Lifeguard Convention Band. The EP is called Wave Goodbye, and Hank's harmony vocals can be heard on the title track as well as a song called Wasted. This material is highly recommended and has the Wormburner stamp of approval.
LIVE AT PIANOS and CBGB
posted April 11, 2006
The Saturday nite show at Pianos was packed. Great for us on the stage, but apparently kind of a bummer for many of our friends and fans who suffered at the hands of one particularly slow bartender.
Let us make is up to you at our next New York show on Thursday, May 11th at CBGB.
MUSCLE CAR TO APPEAR ON SAMPLER CD
posted March 23, 2006
Our song synth-pop song Muscle Car is featured on the newest Indie Music Sampler CD from SBS Records. The label has furnished us with a whole stack of sampler CDs to give away for FREE at upcoming shows.
INDIE ROCK TRACK OF THE DAY
posted February 28, 2006
Today the Wormburner song Muscle Car is the featured Indie Rock Track of The Day on Garageband.com.
BACK FROM RICHMOND
posted February 24, 2006
We've returned from Richmond, VA. Our album is nearly finished. We've now recorded 11 songs in their entirety, and a 12th song still needs lyrics and finishing touches. One more trip down there oughtta do the trick, after which we will sort out whether all 12 songs actually make the LP, or whether we will hold back a couple of cuts as B-Sides.
THURSDAY JANUARY 26TH at THE MERCURY LOUNGE
posted January 27, 2006
Many thanks to the 100+ fans who joined us at Mercury Lounge for last nite's headlining set. In February we're headed back to Richmond, VA. There we will continue recording our debut full-length LP, produced by David Lowery and tentatively titled "A Hero's Welcome" .
HANK'S TOP TEN
posted December 23, 2005
We pause for Hank's annual list of the Top 10 songs he heard in the past year:
1. Sister Jack - Spoon
2. Formed a Band - Art Brut
3. In This Home On Ice - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4. This Year - The Mountain Goats
5. Pilot Light - Knockout Drops
6. The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
7. Twilight Creeps - Crooked Fingers
8. Iron Woman - Devin Davis
9. Railroad Man - Eels
10. Maria's Bed - Bruce Springsteen
Album of the Year: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah self-titled
ANOTHER POPMATTERS REVIEW
posted December 2, 2005
PopMatters has recommended our new CD among "Best Music Gifts" for this holiday season....right alongside recent releases by XTC, Spoon, Guided By Voices, The Silver Jews and Bob Dylan. Click here to read the posting, which includes a nice review of our latest recordings (scroll down to the bottom of the page).
HOLIDAY SHOW
posted November 16, 2005
Our next show is at R&R (formerly RARE) on Wednesday, December 7th. Wormburner will share the bill with our friends The Lifeguard Band and special guests including Chris Campion of The Knockout Drops and the inimitable Mark Nilsen. The holiday cheer begins at 9:00.
AIRPLAY ON SOMA-FM
posted October 27, 2005
Wormburner airplay continues to gain steam, with the latest support coming from Indie Pop Rocks at SOMA-FM
LIVE COVER OF THE PROMISE
posted October 19, 2005
Click on MySpace to hear our daring cover of The Promise, When In Rome's one-hit-wonder from 1988. Recorded live in NYC at Arlene's Grocery, 09.30.05.
TODAY'S NEW YORK TIMES
posted September 29, 2005
Wormburner is in today's New York Times.
NEW PHOTOS
posted September 15, 2005
Check out our newly refreshed photo gallery.
RICHMOND RE-CAP
posted September 6, 2005
We've returned from steamy Richmond, Virginia with six songs completed. Now halfway through recording the first full-length Wormburner album (produced by David Lowery), we're going to pause and play some live shows. On Friday September 30th, we'll be at Arlene's Grocery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. This date will feature the New York City debut of our recently expanded, five-piece lineup. The show will also be something of a record release party, with our six newest tracks available on a limited pressing of CD's.
DAVID LOWERY TO PRODUCE WORMBURNER LP
posted July 11, 2005
Wormburner has temporarily moved its operations to Sound of Music Recording Studios in Richmond, Virginia. A full-length Wormburner album is underway, produced by David Lowery (frontman for Cracker and Camper van Beethoven).
The band will resume live appearances in September.
SUMMERTIME DATES and ANOTHER NEW FACE
posted June 25, 2005
The Block Island Music Festival saw Wormburner in a brand-new five-piece formation. Terry Solomone now shares the "lead guitar" spotlight with our old friend Paul McDaniel (also of The Behoovers), flanking either side of the stage and freeing up Hank for some newly-emerging frontman stylings. The festival's Friday nite lineup was 100% New York bands, and Wormburner was honored to be scheduled alongside perrenials like KarwrecK, as well as our new friends in the girl-band Booby Trap.
The next New York City show is our triumphant return to the Rocks Off Concert Cruise around the tip of Lower Manhattan. It's the nite of Wed. June 29th (that's the Wednesday before the July 4th weekend). Purchase $20 advance tickets online right here.
The boat ride is our last scheduled show for a while, as there are some exciting recording sessions unfolding. Stay tuned.
FAREWELL TO THE ORIGINAL LUNA LOUNGE
posted May 25, 2005
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Luna Lounge despite the torrential Saturday nite rainstorms. The venue will officially close on June 11th, and we will miss it dearly.
To our Rhode Island fans: we look forward to seeing you again on Friday June 17th at the Block Island Music Festival. Wormburner hits the stage at 9:00PM sharp, and we'll be bringing an entourage of surprise guests.
LUNA LOUNGE
posted May 12, 2005
Our next show is at Luna Lounge on Saturday May 21st. It's a FREE show, and we're playing at 9:30PM. The venue was supposed to have been bulldozed months ago, but it's still going strong...for at least a few more weeks. So come down and witness this "encore performance" of our FINAL show at the legendary Luna Lounge.
CD SINGLE
posted April 15, 2005
The record release party at Don Hill's was a smashing success. Free drinks were provided by Southern Comfort, filling the club with an unmistakable aroma and transporting many of our friends into sweet boozy blackouts reminiscent of their teenage years. There's an unconfirmed report that Vin from The Lifeguard Band was spotted vomitting on himself while staggering home through The West Village.
The new CD single is now in circulation, available at shows only. Just ask any bandmember, and it's yours free while supplies last. The supply of Wormburner t-shirts has also been re-stocked. All sizes are now available and will be on hand at our New York shows in May.
CD RELEASE SHOW
posted April 12, 2005
We have been plugging away in our rehearsal space on the Lower East Side, steadily working up a fresh batch of songs for our next visit to the recording studio.
This week, however, we will pause to play a great big FREE Thursday night show at Don Hill's in Manhattan. The show is being sponsored by FHM Magazine and Southern Comfort, and the venue will be pouring FREE SoCo all evening. More importantly, this show celebrates the release of our new CD single, titled Autographed Copies (b/w Wicked Game). We began recording these songs many months ago, and a lineup change nearly halted the process entirely. But the songs are finished, and we are very pleased with the results. Side A features an original, summertime tune called Autographed Copies. And on Side B is Wormburner's high-octane cover of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game. A limited run of FREE CDs will be available at the show this Thursday, and you can also preview the songs right now on our website's MUSIC page.
A NEW FACE
posted February 28, 2005
If you've been to our past couple of New York shows, you have probably noticed a new face behind the bass. We have officially welcomed Jim Spengler to the band. Jim has, of course, played with Wormburner on an "as needed" basis for nearly a year now. But when Wormburner parted ways with Hazy Hastings last Fall, Jimmy Jangles' role as bassplayer was instantly solidified. Jim also sings harmony vocals, and he brings a new level of performance to our live shows.
POPMATTERS REVIEW
posted January 25, 2005
A very nice review of our "Joy In Mudville" EP was published today in a weekly online magazine called PopMatters.com. The article cited Wormburner for "channeling the spirit of alt-country rock visionaries the Byrds and Long Ryders". Further excerpts pointed to "vocals [that] hint at '80s popsters Big Country and the English Beat", with "sharp lyrics and jangly guitars" making for a disc "grounded in what can best be described as tastefulness and musical integrity."
Read the full text by clicking on this PopMatters link and scrolling down the page to the reviews dated January 25th.
HANK'S TOP TEN
posted December 24, 2004
It's that time of year again, when Hank hijacks the website to sound off about the Top 10 songs he's heard in the past twelve months. Here's his list of the ten greatest songs released in 2004:
1. Float On - Modest Mouse
2. Me And Mia - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
3. Primitive (The Way I Treat You) - Ambulance LTD
4. Handshake Drugs - Wilco
5. Nowhere Again - The Secret Machines
6. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
7. Girls of Wild Strawberries - Guided By Voices
8. Speedbumps - Luna
9. Can't Stand Me Now - The Libertines
10. The Rules - Ben Kweller
Album of the Year: Ambulance LTD - LP
The debut LP produced by David Lowery.
